Episode 50: The Calming Hormone of Health, with Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg

Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg is a specialist in women’s health and female physiology and has worked within these fields for more than 30 years. She is a pioneer in research about oxytocin, ”the hormone of love and wellbeing”, and was one of the first researchers to point out the behavioural, psychological and physiological effects of oxytocin during birth, breastfeeding and menopause.

Kerstin has written more than 400 scientific articles and several books on oxytocin, and lectures all over the world.

In this episode, we talked about:

Oxytocin is a hormone of birth (increasing uterine contractions) and breastfeeding (increasing milk ejection), but it’s not just a female, maternal hormone
“Oxytocin is involved in almost everything, in everybody”
There’s no difference between oxytocin in men and women and people of all ages
It has many health-promoting effects such as stimulating growth and healing processes
It has an inhibitory effect on stress levels and is anti-inflammatory
Oxytocin may stimulate social interaction
Oxytocin was originally considered to be the hormone of motherhood, then the hormone of loving behaviour. There’s another aspect of physiological effects that help the body to restore itself but that aren’t visible, e.g. through motor activity
Although originally thought of as a mammalian hormone, it’s been shown in varying levels in other species too
Birds have a peak of oxytocin before they lay their eggs
Strongly linked to the parasympathetic nervous system
When oxytocin is produced in the brain, it can go to the circulation, but it’s connected to areas in the brain through oxytocin-containing nerves within the hypothalamus, which reduce the stress axis. Oxytocin decreases sympathetic response and increases parasympathetic response
The effect on pain relief and reduction of fear
Consider it as the ‘calm and connection’ system and the ‘fight/ flight’ system, but they also interact with one another and modulate each other
High stress levels reduce activity in the oxytocin and parasympathetic nervous systems
High levels of oxytocin help the stages of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding
Raise oxytocin by resting more, taking things easier, doing things to relax, massage and manual therapy
The internal, physiological functions require as much energy as the kinetic functions, and it’s a prejudice that we don’t see them as important- that’s why it’s so difficult to value rest
Oxytocin declines with age. With women, it declines with oestrogen drops
By social interaction, oxytocin levels rise. For older people this is particularly important
Living in close communities enhances longevity
Kerstin was a physiologist, studying the vagus nerve and its role in gut function. She became interested in oxytocin and its effects in the gut and then rest of the body
Pleasant touch gives a release of oxytocin
Safety is important, and oxytocin is released in familiar surroundings
Trust is essential for oxytocin to be released in birth
Babies have their own oxytocin system, not just the mother
High oxytocin levels will reduce tissue damage during labour
Mothers who have skin to skin contact after birth with their babies have an antioxidant release which aids recovery from birth
Watching the news or shocking scenes activates the stress response and lowers the oxytocin response
When coming out of lockdown, our defences are likely to overact initially. Keep the distances for a while and then gradually let people come in again
Ways of increasing oxytocin: limiting the news (to reduce the fear response), watch things with happy endings, take hot baths (womb-like environment), have pets, work with your hands, and connect with others, be in nature, daily repetitive tasks which reinforce safety
The need for kinaesthetic learning
The profound effects of oxytocin on healing and repair for everybody is likely to be the future of oxytocin research, focussing on calming